HURRICANE Tactical Delivery Pod
The was a system used by The Royal Allegiance during the Swarm War. Usage The HURRICANE Pod was used to reinforce positions or units on the ground from an orbital or atmospheric positioned warship. It was used to fortify locations with remote operated and automatic weapons turrets, as a rapid and effective means of deploying emplacements to an area. It could deploy armoured vehicles and other such units quickly to the ground to reinforce areas, or it could deploy munitions, weapons and ammunition to ground troops. The pods were fired from warships in atmosphere or in orbit, much like the HALO Tactical Insertion Pod but on a larger scale. They could also be dropped from close-in air support vehicles able to lift them, such as dropships, so it was not an uncommon sight to see dropships flying into areas in need of defending with these pods underneath, dropping them from mid or low altitudes in strategic positions. The pods were able to accomplish different tasked due to their modular nature and many variants. However, all these variants were able to be launched from the HURRICANE launchers that were located on a ship's ventral side, normally in close proximity to the HALO launch tubes. Design The HURRICANE Pod itself consisted of a modular top section and a non-modular bottom section, which all the variants shared in common. The bottom section was a pointed, vaguely cone-shaped structure that was constructed to withstand reentry and impact with the ground. The pod was equipped with maneuvering thrusters which allowed it to be remote piloted, or pre-programmed to a determined location. The pod had no other propulsion method other than free-fall into an atmosphere. The pod was equipped with a stealth device that allowed it to descend undetected to a planet's surface; the device essentially created a simple slipspace 'bubble' around the pod, though in reality the method was far more complicated. The device allowed the pod to evade all known forms of detection, though this device had the side-effect of completely 'cutting off' the pod from the rest of the universe. This device deactivated following impact with the ground, as it was deliberately engineered to break once this happened. The pod would rapidly decelerate at an altitude of about fifty metres, as the anti-gravity drives kicked in and slowed the pod's descent. Following this it would freefall from this altitude, though far slower than the pod was previously falling. The bottom section would bury itself into the ground, being able to embed itself in solid rock, hard and loose soil and most metals. Afterwards the modular upper section would deploy; the methods of deployment varied according to the pod's cargo. The launcher itself was effectively a HALO launcher, on a larger scale. The launcher was a 'tube' containing several vertically stacked pods, with a large, open area at the top where different pods and modules could be loaded. The pods were magnetically propelled from the tubes, with speeds in excess of 36,000 kph. Variants There were many upper section modules, each being compatible with the lower section and the HURRICANE launcher. *Defensive turret pod: This upper section module allowed for a defensive turret to be precision deployed from orbit. It consisted of the weapon and its power source and/or ammunition, and a data receiver to allow it to be controlled by other allied forces, such as nearby commanders and orbiting vessels. The weapon could function automatically in addition to this function. Most power reserves for such weapons lasted in excess of seven years, though weapons reliant on projectile ammunition usually contained a prohibitively finite ammunition capacity. Upon impact with the ground, the bottom half of the pod would bury itself into the ground, while the top half opened up like a flower to expose the turret. Commonly deployed weapons included the M125 Missile Launcher, the M252 Area/Point Defence Weapon System, M253 Area/Point Defence Weapon System, and the M421 General Purpose Cannon. *Troop pod: Little used in comparison to the HALO Pods but available nonetheless, troop pods contained an enclosed area that was heavily protected from enemy fire and reentry stress. The pod contained an inertial compensator that prevented the occupants from being killed by the rapid and sudden accelerations and decelerations experienced by the pod. Upon impact with the ground the lower half was buried and a troop hatch could be opened to allow the occupants out. The pod was fitted with an IRONHAMMER Weapon Mount, which was stored inside the pod until it hit the ground. This could be equipped with one of many different weapons to provide covering fire and close range support upon hitting the ground. The pod could accommodate up to thirty fully armed and armoured soldiers. *Ammunition/Cargo Pod: Possibly the most commonly used variant after the turret pod, the Cargo pod was favoured due to its large capacity and ability to resupply units on the front lines. It contained a large amount of space that could be used for ammunition, consumables or supplies needed by troops or any front line units, or replacement parts or weapons for vehicles and soldiers. The pod could hold up to seventy tons of material. *Vehicle Pod: The vehicle pod was used to deploy a small number of armoured vehicles to the ground rapidly and stealthily. Where possible dropships ad transports were used, but there were occasions when this was not possible, and the less-than-ideal vehicle pod was used. Unlike HALO Pods, which were too small to carry any vehicles, the HURRICANE vehicle pod allowed troops being deployed behind enemy lines to be covertly supported and equipped with vehicles that have infiltrated defences. Like the troop pod, the vehicle pod was equipped with inertial compensators to negate the rapid acceleration and deceleration experienced by the pod. It had fairly limited room but a single pod generally had enough room for one main battle tank to be deployed. Upon impact with the ground a large ramp would drop from the pod, allowing the vehicle to exit. An IRONHAMMER Weapon Mount was featured on the top of the pod but armoured vehicles were generally more capable of providing their own covering fire than infantry. Provided the vehicles fit inside the pod, it could hold up to seventy tons of load.